The Mech Touch (Web Novel)
chapter-6252

Speaking to both Venerable Rosa Orfan and Venerable Vincent Ricklin had done General Ark Larkinson a lot of good.

Ark received more honest criticism and helpful feedback than he had in months, if not years.

It helped him put his command approach into perspective and make him more aware of where he stood as a leader of men as well as an expert pilot.

As he continued to think about his strengths and his interactions with other mech pilots, he continued on his tour and spoke with the remaining expert pilots.

As the brother of a woman as outstanding as Commander Casella Ingvar, Venerable Imon Ingvar was better placed than most people to comment on this subject.

"Casella is overcompensating." The male Ingvar spoke. "Before we got picked up by Ves Larkinson, we had been reduced to a pair of losers. Both of us used to be members of House Ingvar. My sister studied to become a mech officer, and did well enough when our House was doing great. When it suddenly collapsed due to betrayal and intrigue that I am not eager to rehash, all of her subordinates quickly turned around and no longer obeyed her. That setback affected her deeply."

As a mech commander himself, Ark understood how deeply such an occurrence could be damaging to one's confidence as a leader.

"It sounds as if Casella is not to blame for this outcome." The older expert pilot quietly said. "The mech pilots owed their loyalty to House Ingvar. From the moment it had fallen, their employment contracts should have turned null and void. They are free to leave and work for another organization, which they evidently did. It doesn't matter if you can continue to cover their pay by relying on your own bank accounts. Only the most loyal and dedicated servants are willing to follow fallen nobles. Everyone else doesn't like to bet their lives and future on a couple of young nobles who have lost the backing that they relied upon all their lives."

Imon crossed his arms. "My thoughts are similar to yours, but Casella doesn't accept this viewpoint. She still blames herself to this day, you know. She believes that if she had put a greater effort into building a genuine sense of camaraderie and respect with her subordinates, they would have stuck to her despite the lack of advantages of following her after the fall of our House. If you know that, then you should understand Casella's active command style much better. The reason why she is so well-liked by everyone is not entirely because she cares about her subordinates. It is because she is terrified that they will abandon her and desert her when we are in another crisis. Such an event… is enough to break her willpower."

"..."

General Ark could understand why a commander like Casella would buckle under such trauma, but he would never take it like this. Humans were flawed. They were cowards by nature.

It was only due to training, duty, greed, esprit de corps and even camaraderie that soldiers were able to suppress their natural fears and enter into battle with brave expressions.

That did not mean that their fears had disappeared entirely. As long as events caused their fear to surpass their bravery, their confidence would waver to the point where they wanted to retreat and run away regardless of any greater considerations.

Ark had never witnessed a rout in his later years, but he had seen it numerous times in the early days of his career.

The Bright Republic's Mech Corps won as many battles as it lost against the Vesia Kingdom's Mech Legion.

The two sides knew each other so well that neither side was able to attain any absolute advantages over the other. It was normal to win and lose.

In the few cases where Ark fought in a battle where the Mech Corps fell into a heavy disadvantage, he experienced the spread of panic and the sense of gloom that affected all of the troops on the battlefield.

Fortunately, the Mech Corps was not a military organization that refused to acknowledge the possibility of defeat. It tried to form clear lines of retreat and ensure that the withdrawing troops would eventually be able to live to fight another day.

That was part of the reason why Ark did not think it was a big deal if soldiers became so gripped by their fears that they stopped following his instructions. His troops at least fell back to a location where he could eventually reunite with them and bring them under his command once again.

Casella never enjoyed that particular luxury in the past.

"Who do you think is a better commander?"

Imon shrugged. "I can't say. I mean, you have your strong points, and so does my sister. I suppose it depends on what you care about the most. Is the purpose of leading troops to limit their casualties as much as possible, or to complete as many missions as you can? From what I have observed, Casella is probably more inclined to call for a retreat if the price of winning is too high. In comparison, you are not afraid of taking greater risks, or else you wouldn't have decided to attack Duqaste XI without any form of backup. Which is better depends on what you care about the most."

Ark frowned. He did care about the lives of his subordinates. Perhaps he did not treat them as individual treasures like Casella, but it was a lie that he was perfectly willing to let them all die.

In his opinion, he was just being more realistic about the life and death of soldiers. People died in droves in every war. He had befriended numerous comrades in the past, but many of them eventually fell in battle against the Vesians.

This happened with such regularity that he no longer developed a lot of intimacy with the next comrades that fought by his side.

It also didn't help that he began to climb up the hierarchy. The higher his officer rank, the lower the amount of people he could interact as equals.

Eventually, his rank became so high that the only people he dealt with on a daily basis were those underneath him. How could he befriend them so easily when he needed to be harsh and send them to their possible deaths if necessary?

"Being a leader is hard." Ark commented. "I am sure that your sister has experienced many moments of stress due to the burden of leadership. I envy simple pilots such as you, Imon. You are not expected to do anything but fight well when your services are needed."

"Hehehe." Imon Ingvar chuckled and straightened his posture. "Is that what you think? I have a completely different opinion on that. Do you know that whenever someone in our clan says the name Ingvar, their mind immediately jumps to my sister? They always respect and look up to 'Casella Ingvar'. It is rare that any Larkinson looks up to me first. I mean why should they? Compared to my talented, capable and compassionate sister, I am just the simpleton who doesn't possess any ability to command a mech legion, let alone a mech squad. The reason why I am expected to do nothing but pilot my Blade Chaser Mark II well is because people don't trust me to do anything more than that. They are afraid that I will fail if I take on any more burdens."

"I do not think that is an accurate characterization of yourself." General Ark frowned. "Do not belittle yourself, Imon. People have different talents and inclinations. It is perfectly acceptable for high-ranking mech pilots to stay away from any leadership responsibilities. As long as you do your primary job well, no one will care about your shortcomings. Your sister may have indeed become the more famous among the two of you, but take it from a Larkinson who grew up in a long line of expert pilots and war heroes. You can forge your legend as long as you are successful enough. If you become an ace pilot before your sister, then you will not be regarded as the more incompetent Ingvar anymore."

Imon nodded in agreement. "Becoming stronger is definitely one of my main goals. I don't necessarily want to prove that Casella is weaker or anything. She is still my sister, and I care for her a lot. I just don't think I can help her all that much at my current level of strength. It is only when I have advanced to an ace pilot that I can truly watch her back and serve as her most powerful asset by her side. This is why I don't object too much about this crazy operation that you have sprung on us. It is not a pleasant surprise, but it is probably one of the best opportunities for me to challenge my limits and see if I can get any closer to breaking through."

"How close are you, Imon?"

"Not that close, to be honest. I still need to work on… stuff. I have a feeling that I not only need to figure out what sort of relationship I want to have with my sister, but also get her to accept my chosen role."

"And what role do you envision for yourself?" Ark asked.

"We belong together. She is a great commander, but she is not that good of a fighter compared to other expert pilots. I am the opposite. I don't know the first thing about leading troops, but you are right when you said that I know how to fight well. I want to become her protector and her greatest champion. She can make all of the tough choices and support me from behind while I take care of all of the toughest enemies that she will face in the future. This is a perfect combination as far as I am concerned. We are a match made in heaven."

It could be argued that Imon would probably pair well with most other mech commanders.

Who wouldn't like a strong expert pilot and expert mech at his disposal?

General Ark looked at Imon with greater respect. "Your dedication to your sister is admirable. It is rare for me to see a stronger bond between relatives. Is this why you are eager to test yourself in the upcoming operation?"

Imon grinned as his willpower exuded greater eagerness and battlelust. "Yes. Compared to participating in typical battles, I can get much more out of it if we are badly outnumbered and have to fight for every scrap of progress. There are no fallback options or escape routes for me. I will literally have to fight for my life in order to survive… and maybe become a greater version of myself while I am at it. I am both excited and apprehensive at the upcoming action. I am aware that there is a chance that I won't be able to return to my sister."

"Does that terrify you, Imon?"

"No, general. I am… impatient. I do not want to spend the next years and decades of my life as the same high-tier expert pilot. I hate my bottleneck. I am willing to do almost anything to obliterate it. I will either return to Casella as an ace pilot, or inside a coffin. I don't know which of the two outcomes will eventually happen, but I would rather make it happen sooner or later, because I don't want to stay in a limbo where I am too weak to matter."

Imon wanted a resolution. His self-esteem and his desire to be of use to his sister did not allow him to remain stuck as an expert pilot.

In an era where only ace pilots and stronger combatants could make a significant difference in the massive battles being fought today, Imon Ingvar no longer wanted to be known as the useless and less competent sibling!

"I wish you all the luck you need, Imon." Ark said in an understanding tone. "You will have your chance in the next battle. It may even be more than you can handle, but that is exactly the sort of situation where you can prove that you are better than what many think of you. I am rooting for you. Of course, I am also rooting for myself, but that goes without saying. Let's turn this into a race and see who gets to break through first."

Imon grinned and bumped his fist against Ark's own outstretched fist. "Deal."